You'll Know It (When You See It)
by thosedarndursleys
Summary: It's Christmas Eve, and Remus is struggling to find one, last gift.


**A/N:** Hi, all! Thanks for taking the time to read my story :) If you have a minute, please consider leaving a review or sending me a PM—I love getting feedback!

On a more official note, this was written for Round 2 of the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition. As keeper of the Caerphilly Catapults, I was tasked with writing a story that was set primarily in the Magical Menagerie. For judging purposes, the word count for this story is 1,495.

You'll Know It (When You See It)

December 24, 1975

"Remus, love," Hope called to her son as he wandered over the scuffed threshold. "What are you doing?"

"Sorry, Mum—" Remus lost himself abruptly to a fit of coughing as dust and bird feathers coated his lungs. He took a minute to calm his breathing before continuing. "I just need to find one last present."

Hope let out a soft sigh and shook her head fondly. "Who have you forgotten?"

Remus ran his fingers over a wooden shelf to the right of the door. A rat there chittered from inside its cage, and he studied it briefly.

"I didn't forget, mum. I just haven't found the right gift yet."

"And you think you'll find it in the Magical Menagerie?"

Across the room, a large, fanged cat hissed at one of its neighbors, and Hope jumped. She ran a hand through her fringe as she chuckled at herself. At Remus' shrug, she crossed the small space to kiss his forehead. "All right, then. I'm going to the Apothecary. Meet me there when you're done, yeah?"

"Yes, Mum," Remus gave her a chagrined smile as he rubbed at the lipstick above his brow. When his mother had exited the shop, he turned his attention back to the array of cages along the wall.

He had been struggling with this last present for months now. For the most part, finding gifts for his mates had been easy. James always needed new polish for his broom, and Peter had been eyeing a quill set in Hogsmeade since the start of the school year. Even Frank, Lily, and Dorcas hadn't been too difficult to shop for. Frank was smitten with Chocolate Frogs these days, and both Lily and Dorcas had developed an interest in Muggle history, so finding books in London had been easy enough. Sirius, though, had been a completely different story.

Despite his putting up with Quidditch for James' sake, he had never been a huge fan of the game, and even though he could enjoy some sweets from the kitchen, he always thought that sneaking was half the fun—he didn't really want his own, personal snacks. He preferred to stay away from literature whenever possible, and, like his fascination with sneaking, he would much rather steal Remus' school supplies than use his own.

The tick of claws against metal echoed across the cramped shop, and Remus studied a niffler inside of its cage as it fiddled with a golden chain in its pouch. He smiled at the creature, but it didn't seem to appreciate having an audience. Upon making eye contact, it scurried up its log and into the waiting hammock at the top. Remus shook his head fondly and moved on to watch a group of toads squashing each other as they attempted to leap to the top of their tank.

Remus knew Sirius didn't want a pet—he'd have an easy enough time keeping it alive at Hogwarts, he supposed, but there was no way Sirius would impose on the Potters by bringing an animal home with him. Even though he seemed to have settled in quite nicely with James and his parents, Remus knew how insecure Sirius could be, and he didn't want to aggravate that any more than strictly necessary.

"Can I help you find something, dear?"

Remus turned his head to find that an elderly, creased woman had peeked her head over the counter just after Remus passed it. He shook his head kindly and moved to continue his search.

"No thank you, ma'am; I'm just looking."

"What are you looking for? Perhaps I can help you find it, hmm?"

Remus held back a grumble and offered up a smile instead. The woman really was just trying to be helpful—it wasn't her fault that Remus wanted to be left to browse on his own.

"It's just a last-minute present for a friend of mine—"

"Ah! I know just the thing, love." The woman jumped from her place from behind the countertop and rushed across the streaked floorboards. She dodged the surrounding cages and exhibits with ease, and Remus followed at a slower place, watching as she opened a tiny door on a squat, yellow cage. When she pulled her hand out from the opening, she held a small ball of fluff in her palm. "The ladies love these little buggers!" She said with a grin as she shoved the creature into Remus' hands.

The boy jumped back, nearly dropping the poor thing in the process, but he held fast to it before he could lose his grip. Once he was steady on his feet once more, he looked down to find a tiny rodent, possibly only half the size of Wormtail, between his fingers. It squeaked softly into his thumb as it attempted to nibble on his skin.

Remus held back a chuckle as he imagined the look on Peter's face if he got Sirius _hamster_ for Christmas. He'd be outraged, and rightfully so—Sirius would probably end up trapping Peter in the cage anyway. Remus gave the woman a wide smile as he passed the animal back to her.

"Thanks, but that's not really what I'm looking for. I'm not shopping for a woman, actually—"

"Oh! My mistake," the shopkeeper cut in as she set the rodent back in its cage. "Sometimes I forget that people swing the other way, y'know?" Remus opened his mouth to correct her, but she had already swept off to another habitat, so he just shrugged his shoulders and trailed behind her. The woman reached in to pry a Harlequin Toad from its tank, and Remus couldn't help but compare her efforts to Sirius's when he attempted to pull James out of bed in the mornings. Despite popular belief, Sirius was a morning person, and he preferred for his friends to be as well. Remus had actually grown quite close to him over the past six years during their early morning teas while the other boys were still asleep in their dorm. It had been during one of those teas that Sirius had told Remus about his learning to become an Animagus.

Remus picked at a nearby woodchip with the tip of his trainers as he watched the woman battle with the stubborn toad.

" _You shouldn't have done that, Sirius," Remus had said, rubbing at his forehead. He hadn't even known about the other two boys at the time, and he had already been upset._

" _Moony, don't worry about it! It'll be great!"_

" _You could end up in_ prison _—"_

" _I won't," Sirius had promised, and from the look in his eyes, Remus could tell that the boy had actually meant it. He had truly believed that there was no way he could get caught._

" _But if you_ do _," Remus insisted before stopping short and shaking his head. "Sirius, you really shouldn't have. McGonagall will have your head."_

" _McGonagall would be proud and you know it." Sirius had offered the other boy a cheeky grin from behind his tea, causing Remus to roll his eyes._

" _Now I know you've gone completely mental."_

"Here you are, dear," the woman said, placing the twitchy toad in Remus' hands. The boy made a conscious effort not to jump this time. He attempted to keep a straight face, though he immediately wanted to scrunch his nose in disgust. The toad was slimy, even sticky in some places, and he moved to pass it back to the woman.

"No, thanks," he offered. "That's really not the right fit, either." The woman bristled and turned to set it back into its tank. Remus rubbed at the back of his neck before offering what he thought would probably push the woman too far.

"D'you have anything that isn't—y'know— _alive_?"

"I'm sorry?" she asked, raising an irritated brow.

"I just—I don't think my friend really wants a pet. I'm sorry if I didn't mention that before."

Remus watched as her face contorted in frustration and she turned back toward the counter. She was half-way to her post before she tossed over her shoulder, "You're in the wrong place then. Go try somewhere else."

Remus offered his quiet thanks before turning back to the exit, feeling a bit guilty for leading the woman on. He hadn't meant to make her take him on a tour around the shop—he had really just been looking for inspiration.

Remus had neared the dingy threshold when a strip of leather caught his eye. He stopped in his tracks and huffed in satisfaction as he turned fully to the shelf. He took the items in his hand and walked back to the counter.

"Sorry, ma'am, but I found something I'd like to buy," Remus offered sheepishly.

The woman looked up with a raised brow, and Remus set the gift set—a nickel-ornamented leash and collar—on the counter.

Remus allowed himself a satisfied grin. Maybe there was something that Sirius needed after all.


End file.
